Move Along
by acenotmary
Summary: Six years together. A beautiful daughter, and a lot of love. A marriage? No. But a relationship? Definitely. Eventually Sophie.
1. Part 1: The Situation

**Move Along**

_Gilmore Girls_

**A/N:** hey guys! So, this is the one shot I was talking about that I needed the divorce information on. So, I was writing it and it go super long, so I've decided to break it up into three parts. The whole thing is complete, but I want a whole lotta reviews before I post chapter two, because I really like this story. So, here's the summary, enjoy chapter 1.

**Summary:** Six years together. A beautiful daughter, and a lot of love. A marriage? No. But a relationship? Definitely. Eventually RoganSophie.

**Background Information:** Rory and Logan started dating her Freshman year of college, his sophmore. They met at the coffee cart after he bumped into her, spilling coffee everywhere. He immediately apologized and bought her another coffee. She accepted the apology but only because it included another coffee. They talked for a while and eventually became friends. They quickly developed feelings for each other, but didn't admit it them to anyone. Logan wasn't to much of a playboy, but he still had his fare share of girls. That pretty much changed after he met Rory, as it always does. (lol) After finally going out on a date with each other, they realized they were meant to be. They of course dated exclusively and during her sophmore year, Rory found herself pregnant. She decided to keep the baby and Logan agreed. He knew he was a bit young to be a father, but there was no way he could give up his child. After their daughter was born, they continued to go to school and graduate when they were supposed to. Lorelai would watch the baby during the day, taking her to the inn and letting her play with Davy, Sookie's son who was there sometimes. After college, Rory got a job at a Hartford paper and Logan did as well, starting out as a reporter. They never got married, but they did live together. And then it happened. Mitchum sent Logan away and Rory ended up with someone else. Now, this part is only temporary of course, and everything should make more sense as the story progresses. So, enjoy!

Disclaimer: Absolutely nothing. It's disappointing.

---

**Part 1: The Situation**

Six years together. A beautiful daughter, and a lot of love. A marriage? No. But a relationship? Definitely.

So what went wrong? Why did he leave it all behind? Why did he leave the two people that meant the most? Oh yeah. Because his father made him. His mother begged her husband not to. To not send her baby boy away. Let him stay with the family he had made with the woman he loved. But did he listen? Of course not. He's Mitchum Huntzberger. He listens to no one but himself.

So he left. Logan left. But he did it to protect his family. To protect Rory and to protect Emma. Three little words made him leave.

'_I'll ruin her.'_

Mitchum was a monster. His father was Satan. A hell beast, the First Evil, the Source, the Triad, Balthazar, and Angel without a soul, all rolled into one. He was a beast who cared about no one but himself.

Logan remembered when his father spoke those three evil little words to him.

_Flashback_

"_Hey dad, what's up?" Logan asked. He had just entered his father's study. Mitchum had called him to come over. He had something important to discuss with him._

"_I need you to go to California, Logan." Mitchum said._

"_Ok. How long? Two days? A week?"_

"_I need you to move there permanently."_

"_What?" Logan asked._

"_This is permanent Logan."_

"_Dad, Rory is not gonna go for this."_

"_Rory will not be going with you. You'll be going by yourself."_

"_What?" Logan yelled. "Dad, I have a family here! A family I have to take care of! A girlfriend and a daughter! How can you ask me to leave that behind?"_

"_The way I just did." he said, completely emotionless._

"_No." Logan said._

"_You will go." Mitchum said._

"_No, I won't. I'm not leaving my family."_

"_You'll go Logan, or I'll ruin her."_

"_What?" Logan asked, his jaw dropping._

"_I'll ruin her." Michum repeated._ _"If you don't go, I'll ruin Rory's career and make it so she can't get another job in journalism."_

"_Why would you do that?" Logan asked._

"_Because it's time for you to finally take over for me, and she'll just hold you back."_

"_Are you kidding me?" He shouted. "She doesn't hold me back, dad! She pushed me forward. She makes me work and I love that about her. She pushes me to be better."_

"_You're going Logan. You leave Friday."_

"_I'm not going." Logan said firmly._

"_You are." Mitchum said. "I'm serious Logan. I'll end her career in the journalism field, and I'll make it so she can't support that little girl."_

"_You really are a monster, you know. You wanna drag me away from my life! From the woman I love and my daughter! You're tearing me apart dad!"_

"_I'll see you Friday morning at nine. Don't be late to the air strip."_

"_I'm not going!" he shouted again._

"_Yes you are. You'll go to protect her. You won't let her career end at your hand. You won't let your daughter go unfed. You'll leave to protect your family. Now, I'll see you Friday morning." Mitchum said before leaving the study._

_Logan stood there, staring at where his father had just been. Mitchum was right. As much as he loathed the idea of leaving his family, he would do it to protect them. He wouldn't let Rory go without a job and he wouldn't let his daughter go unsupported by her mother._

_He would have to leave them. There was no way they could go with him._

_Rory would take this hard. He would have to leave her and Emma. She would hate him for it, but he could deal with that. He could deal with her hatred of him way better than he could handle her being without her dream job. _

_And Emma. His sweet little girl. He had to leave his baby. His five year old daughter who would understand perfectly that daddy wasn't there anymore. But he would still be in her life. He would not let himself forget about her. He would always take care of his little girl. He would protect her._

_Just like he would protect Rory._

_He would leave._

_He did leave._

_End Flashback_

And then there was Rory. She had cried her eyes out when Logan left her. He seemed heartbroken about leaving, but she felt that when she asked why, he wasn't telling her the whole truth. He was leaving out little bits and pieces and that bugged her. Almost as much as how her situation now bugged her. She wondered why she did it. Why did she marry him? Why _him?_ Oh, that's right. Because he told her he loved her. And she thought she still loved him too. She was wrong though. He wasn't Logan, so she could never really love him. She could never love Jess Mariano the way he claimed to love her.

---

"Emma Victoria Mariano!" Jess called up the stairs of his house. "Get your little but down here now!"

"That's not my name!" he heard a little voice shout back.

"Yes it is!" he shouted.

"No it's not!" she yelled, louder.

"Just get down here!"

Emma left her room and marched down the stairs in huff. She hated Jess. He wasn't her dad.

Emma was almost seven years old now and her mom had been married to Jess for almost two years. They got married only six months after her daddy had to go away. She missed her dad. She talked to him twice a day and saw him twice a month, but it wasn't the same as having him there. It wasn't like all her friends who had their mothers and fathers.

"What?" she asked, angry Jess had called her away from her desk. While she was only six and three quarters, she was smart as a whip. She could already read a little and write pretty well. She was a Huntzberger, it was in her genes. "I was writing a letter to my _daddy_." she stressed. "What do you want?" she asked in her little voice.

"Did you hide my cell phone?" he asked.

"No." she said, looking innocent.

"Emma, where did you put my phone?"

"I didn't put it anywhere. I don't have it." she said.

"Are you lying?" he asked.

"No." she said.

Just then, the front door opened and Rory came in. "Mommy!" Emma said as she ran to her mother who immediately scooped her up into a hug.

"Hi baby." Rory said, kissing her daughter's head of blonde hair. Emma looked just like her mother but had her fathers blonde hair. Her blue eyes sparkled as she began to tell her mother about what she did that day. "That sounds great sweety. Are you ready to eat?"

Emma nodded her head as she got down and went into the bathroom to wash her hands for dinner.

"Hey." Rory said as she put her bag down on the table and gave Jess a quick kiss.

"Hi." he said gruffly.

"What's wrong?" Rory asked.

"She hid my cell phone."

"No she didn't." Rory said.

"Rory, she did. I know she did. I can't find it anywhere, and she was the only one here today besides me."

"So you're accusing my daughter?"

"It had to have been her, but she says it wasn't. I know it was though, Ror."

"Or I could have taken it."

"What?" he asked.

"I picked it up on accident this morning. I thought it was mine and then I got to work and saw it was yours." Rory said, getting angry.

"Oh." Jess said.

"You owe my daughter an apology."

"Our daughter." he said.

"No, my daughter, Jess. You didn't adopt her as your own."

"Well, she's really not mine, now, is she?"

"No Jess, she's not. Not biologically at least." Rory said before getting out plates to set the table for dinner. She had brought home Chinese for dinner. "She's Logan's daughter and she's my daughter, but that doesn't mean I don't want you to act as her father, because I do. Treat her like she's yours, even if she isn't. You accepted the fact I had a child when you married me."

"I know I did! I do act like her father, Rory. I do. She hates me though."

"She does not hate you." Rory said.

"Yes I do." Emma said, coming back into the kitchen.

"Emma!" Rory exclaimed.

"What? Mommy, he's mean! He doesn't even know my name!"

"Of course he does!" Rory said

"Then why does he say my last name is Mariano! Its not! You said it was Huntzberger! Just like daddy."

"Baby, your last name is Huntzberger." Rory said, leading her daughter into the living room. "I'll talk to Jess about that. He shouldn't be calling you a Mariano."

"Mommy, I want daddy to come back. I don't like Jess."

Rory sighed. "I know baby."

"I miss daddy." Emma said quietly as she hugged her mother.

"I do too honey." Rory whispered as she cried silently. "I miss daddy too."

---

"Good night Emma. Sleep tight baby." Rory said after tucking her daughter in.

"Night mommy." Emma said before kissing her mom on the cheek.

Rory left the room and Jess said his goodnights.

"Night angel." he said as he kissed Emma's head.

"Don't call me that." Emma said. "My daddy calls me that. You're not my daddy."

"Emma, you're daddy is in California and he's not coming back. Not to stay at least. So get used to me, because I'll be around forever. I'll always be in your life."

"No you won't." Emma said. "My mommy misses my daddy. She doesn't want you anymore."

Jess glared at the little girl before leaving the room and going down to the living room where Rory was reading.

"Did you tell her you don't want me anymore?" Jess asked when he walked in.

"What? No, I never said that."

"She told me you did."

"Jess, she's a little girl. She doesn't know what she's talking about half the time."

"She told me I'm not her daddy."

"I thought we already determined that biologically, you're not." Rory said with a small smirk.

"I want her to like me." Jess said.

"She will eventually. She just needs time. She misses Logan. She hasn't seen him in two weeks."

"Maybe we should send her to see him."

"What? No." Rory said.

"Come on Rory! We could have a week to ourselves. She could spend a week with her father."

"Jess, I'm not sending my six year old daughter on a plane to California by herself." Rory said, shaking her head no.

"Rory, they have that thing where the flight attendants watch the kids under 15 the whole flight and then walk them off the plane after everyone else gets off. She'd be fine!" he exclaimed.

"I'm not doing it Jess." Rory said.

"Rory, we need time for us! You have all next week off! Spend it with just me."

"I need to spend time with my child Jess."

"Why can't you just let Logan spend time with her! She misses him, and I bet he misses her too."

"Jess, I'm not home every day this summer like you are. I have to work, I have a job, unlike you. I need this time off for Emma. I don't get to see her as much as I want to and I feel terrible about it. I took this time off of work so I could spend every day with her."

"Are you saying I don't have a job?" he asked.

"You don't!" Rory exclaimed. "I make all the money in this relationship. I provide for everyone. You won't get a job Jess. You're too busy working on your novel."

"That is a job Rory! I'm an author!"

"You're not an author until you get published!" she shouted.

Meanwhile in her room, Emma had been listening to her mother and Jess scream at each other. She was getting scared as Jess's voice raised with every sentence he spoke. She climbed out of her bed and grabbed the phone that was in her room. She dialed her father's number, hoping he would pick up.

"Hello?" Logan answered.

"Daddy." Emma said quietly.

"Emma? What's wrong?" Logan asked, hearing the worry in his daughters voice.

"I'm scared." she whispered. "Mommy and Jess are yelling really loud."

"Ok, it's ok Emma. Take the phone to your mom. I wanna talk to her."

"Ok." Emma said as she walked out of her room and down the steps into the living room. Logan could hear the yelling through the phone.

"You're just jealous Jess! You're jealous because I actually have been published! In fact, my stuff is in the paper every day! You haven't finished anything in the two years we've been together!" Rory shouted.

"Mommy." Emma said from the bottom of the stairs. Rory took her eyes off of Jess and looked at her frightened daughter.

"Emma, what's wrong? Why aren't you in bed?"

"Daddy wants to talk to you." she said, handing Rory the phone. She accepted it and started leading Emma upstairs, following behind.

"Oh sure, go talk to _him_." Jess muttered.

Rory stopped for a brief moment and glared at him before continuing up the stairs.

"What Logan?" she said into the phone.

"Stop scaring our daughter." he said.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"You and Jess fighting is scaring her. Stop fighting. Stop scaring her."

"Hold on." Rory said. She tucked Emma back in bed and kissed her head. "I love you baby. Go to sleep." she said before leaving the room. "Ok." she said into the phone. "Did she tell you she was scared?"

"Yes." Logan said.

"I didn't mean to scare her." Rory said quietly as she walked into her and Jess's bedroom and shut the door.

"I know you didn't. What were you fighting over anyway?"

Rory sighed. "Everything. Jess wants to send Emma to California next week to stay with you since I have the week off, but I took the week off so I could spend more time with her. I mostly only see her on the nights and weekends now. She's still asleep when I leave for work in the morning."

"You could send her out if you wanted to. You know I would love to have her for a week. I really miss her Rory."

"She misses you too. We both do." she said quietly.

"You both should come out here. That way I could see her and you could still spend the week with her too."

"I don't think that's such a great idea."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm married, Logan. Because of why you left in the first place. I can't come because of me." she said.

"Ace..."

"No!" She shouted into the phone. "You don't get to call me that anymore. You aren't with me anymore. My name is Rory. You left me Logan, and you said it was because of me that you had to leave."

"Rory." he said, trying again. "I did leave because of you, but it's not the way you think it is." he said.

"It's not?" she asked with a scoff.

"No." he said.

"So, you didn't leave me because of me? You didn't leave our daughter because of me? You did, Logan. I'm married to Jess because of me! I'm married to him and not you because of me. I don't want to be married to him anymore Logan! He's becoming an asshole. No, he's always been an asshole, but you left me Logan! You left me and Emma! So I found someone else who loves me. Someone who's always loved me and I married him! I married the wrong guy because of me!" she spat. "It all has to do with me, Logan. That's what you said the day you left."

"Rory, if you come out here next week, and you bring Emma with you, I'll tell you the whole story as to why I left."

"I knew you left something out." she said.

"I had to, because if I hadn't left this part out, you would have begged me to stay more than you already did, and you would have hated yourself for it."

"You don't think I hate myself already?" she asked. "Did you not hear that little rant I just had? I hate myself because I was the reason you left. I hate myself because I'm married to Jess. And I hate myself because I still love you." she said quietly.

"Rory. Come to California." he said. "Let me see you and our daughter." He said, changing the subject.

She was quiet for a second. "Ok." she whispered. "We'll come see you."

"I'll book your flight and call you back tomorrow."

"Ok." she said. "Bye."

"Bye. Oh, and Rory?" he said. "I still love you too."

---

A/N: that's the end to part one. I hope you all liked it. Now, remember the second and third part are already done, so send me lots of reviews and it can be up later. So, I feel really proud of this chapter and it's kinda long, so please, send me reviews and the next part will come. Thanks! Review.


	2. Part 2: The Trip

A/N: hello. Thanks for all the feedback.

**---**

**Part 2: The Trip**

"You're what?" Jess exclaimed later that night after Rory had come back into the living room.

"I'm taking Emma and we're going to go see Logan next week." Rory said.

"Why?" Jess asked.

"Because he asked us. He wants to see Emma, but I need to spend time with her too. This way she'll get to see both of us and I won't feel scared about sending her on a plane because I'll be with her." Rory said.

"I don't like this idea." Jess said.

"Too bad Jess. Emma and I are going. She needs to spend time with her father and I need to spend more time with her. I'm going to bed. Night." she said as she climbed the stairs and went into their bedroom.

---

"Ready to go Em?" Rory asked Sunday morning. Logan had called Saturday to tell them there were two tickets waiting for them at the airport for a Sunday flight. It would leave at ten a.m.

"Yep!" Emma said, nodding her head.

"Ok, lets go. Bye Jess." she said.

"Bye." he said, giving her a kiss. "Love you."

"Me too." she said as she grabbed Emma's hand.

"Bye Emma." Jess said.

Emma glanced at him before tugging on her mother's hand, trying to pull her out the door.

"I'm coming." Rory said jokingly as she let her daughter pull her out of the house. She opened the trunk to her car and put their suitcases in there before helping Emma into the backseat and buckling her in. She then got into the drivers seat, buckled her seat belt and started the car. As she drove out of the driveway, she gave Jess a short wave. They drove to the airport and checked their bags before going through security and sitting down right outside their boarding gate.

"Is daddy gonna pick us up?" Emma asked excitedly.

"Yes baby, he is. He'll be there when we get off the plane."

Her smile grew at this news. She really missed her dad.

"All members of flight 245 to Los Angeles, please board now." the flight attendant said.

"C'mon baby. Time to go see your daddy." she said as she grabbed Emma's hand and the carry on bag before going through the gate and boarding the plane.

---

When the plane landed, Rory and Emma got off and went to baggage claim where they were meeting Logan.

"Daddy!" Emma exclaimed when she saw him. She ran to him and he picked her up, kissing her head.

"Hi angel." he said as he hugged her. "How's my little girl?" he asked.

"I'm fine." she said.

"Hey Rory." Logan said as Rory came over after finding their suitcase.

"Hi." she said as she gave him a hug and kiss on the cheek. "How are you?" she asked.

"I'm fantastic now." he said as he smiled at his daughter. "So, are you girls hungry?" he asked.

"Yes!" Emma exclaimed.

"Rory?" he asked.

"Aren't I always?" she asked with a smirk.

He let out a small laugh and grabbed her bag as they turned and walked out. "Yes, you are." he said. "So, where should we go?" he asked as he unlocked his car and put their bag in the trunk. He opened the back door and put Emma in. After buckling her in he kissed her cheek and shut the door. He got in the driver's side as Rory got into the passenger's.

"What's good around here?" she asked.

"There's a little diner called Lucy's. Kinda reminds me of Luke's." he said with a smile.

"Oh, lets got there!" Rory said excitedly.

"Ok." he said with a smile as he drove towards the little diner.

---

After dinner, they went to his penthouse apartment.

"Logan this place is great." Rory said. It was the first time she had ever been there. When Logan saw Emma every month, he always flew out to Hartford. She had come to see him once in LA, but only because he flew out to get her and flew back with her.

"Thanks." he said. "So, this is obviously the living room and that's the kitchen. The bathroom is down the hall. My room is upstairs along with Emma's and the guest room. There's a study down the hall too. Oh, and there's a bathroom attached to the guest room, so you'll have your privacy." he told her.

"Great." she said with a smile. "Now, I think it's time to get this one in bed." she said, looking at her sleeping daughter in her arms.

Logan nodded and led Rory upstairs to Emma's room. They walked in and he turned down her bed before Rory set her in it.

"Night baby." Rory said, covering up her daughter. "Mommy loves you." she whispered before kissing Emma' head.

"I love you too angel." Logan said, kissing Emma's cheek. "Sleep tight." he said before exiting the room, Rory following.

"I think I'm gonna go to bed too. Tired from the flight." Rory said.

"Ok." Logan said. "You're room is right there." he said, pointing to the room across from Emma's.

"Thanks Logan. For everything." she said before kissing his cheek and going into her room, closing the door behind her.

---

Logan watched her go into her room. He sighed before going into his. His cheek was tingling from her kiss. He wished he could have kissed her. She looked so beautiful when he saw her. And he didn't want to just give her a peck on the cheek, but a proper kiss on the lips. One that showed how very much in love he still was with her.

He changed into some sweat pants and a t shirt before crawling into his bed. He fell asleep almost instantly, tired from working all day. He worked until four and then went to the airport to pick up his girls. Actually, one was his girl. The other...well, let's just say this week would be interesting. They both still loved each other. Something was bound to happen.

---

Rory tossed and turned that night, not being able to sleep. She rolled over and looked at the clock next to the bed.

3:37.

'_Damn.'_ She thought. It wasn't even close to being time to wake up. She couldn't take it anymore though. She needed to know, and she needed to know now. Slowly and quietly she got out of bed and padded out of the room. She walked to the room she knew was his. The door was slightly open and she could see him in there sleeping. She crept in quietly and walked over to the bed. She sat down on the edge, hoping not to wake him.

"Logan." she whispered. Nothing. He stayed asleep. "Logan." she said again, a little louder as she gently nudged his shoulder.

He groaned as his eyes slowly opened and fixated on her.

"Rory?" he asked. "Why are you up? It's 3:40 in the morning." he said looking at his clock.

"Tell me now, please." she said.

"Tell you what?" he asked.

"Tell me why Logan. I need to know why you left us. And don't say because of me again. That hurt enough the first time. I want to know the truth."

"Can't this wait until breakfast?" he asked, still a bit groggy.

"No Logan. I need to know now."

He sighed and sat up in bed. "Ok." he said. "You have to let me finish though before you say anything."

"I promise." she said.

"My dad made me leave." he said as he looked in her eyes. "Now, I did leave because of you Rory, but it really isn't why you think." he took a breath before continuing. "He said if I didn't go, he would ruin your career and make it so you couldn't get a job as a journalist anywhere. He said he'd make sure you couldn't support Emma. He's a mad man Rory, I knew he would do it. So I left so I could protect you and our daughter. I didn't tell you all of that when I had to leave because I know you would have told me to stay. That you could find a job outside of journalism, and while I know you could, you wouldn't be happy at that job, at least not as happy as you are working for the paper." he said.

She stared at him. It was dark in the room but she could still see his face perfectly. It was imprinted in her mind. She could always see him. In her dreams, in her everyday thoughts, when they were talking on the phone, and when she was sitting with him in a pitch black room.

"Wow." she said quietly. "Pretty shocking." she whispered.

"I'm sorry." he said. "I'm so sorry I left, but I hope now you understand why."

"I do." she said. "You kept me safe by making me feel vulnerable. You left me and I felt unprotected. I felt so many things when you left Logan. I felt sad, angry, played, alone, but mostly I felt unloved."

"Rory, please don't ever think I don't love you. I left because I love you so much. I really hope you get that." he said as he grabbed her hand. She didn't move it away, just let him rub the top softly, calming her. It felt good to have her hand in his again.

"Why did he send you away?" she asked. "Why did he make you leave me and Emma?"

"Because he thought it was right. Because he said it was time for me to take over, and he thought you would hold me back, when really you push me forward, Rory. You make me a better person. I've always been a better person since I met you. I'm a better person now because of you." he said.

"Did you ever want me and Emma to come with you?" she asked.

"Of course I did. But my asshole father said I had to go alone."

"Why didn't we ever get married?" she asked quietly.

He sighed. "I honestly don't know, but it's a decision I regret. I wish I would have married you Rory. We could have stayed together that way. He might have made me go, but at least you could have definitely come with me."

She nodded as a few tears fell down her face.

"Hey." he said. "Don't cry." He wiped her tears and pulled her into a hug. She just sobbed harder. How could she not cry? Everything was coming out now.

"I wish we would have gotten married too." she chocked out.

He laid back, pulling her with him as he stroked her hair. "I know." he said. "I wish everyday we would have. I could have both my girls then." he said quietly.

"You have us Logan. You've always had us." she said once her tears subsided.

"Why did you marry him Rory?" Logan asked, completely changing the subject.

"Because I thought I loved him. And he loved me."

"_I_ love you, Rory." he said. "I miss you and Emma constantly. Can you honestly say he misses you and Emma right now?" he asked as he rubbed her back.

"I don't know." she said. "I think he misses me, but he's probably glad Emma's here right now."

"Rory, I don't like him taking care of my daughter."

"He doesn't take care of her Logan. Not the way you do. You may only see her 2 times a month, but you still talk to her everyday. You tell her you love her and you hug and kiss her when you do see her. You send me money to help take care of her even when you know I don't need it. You're her daddy. You take care of her. Not Jess."

"Leave him." Logan said.

"What?" she asked, looking up in his eyes.

"Leave him. Divorce him. Just get away from him. Please, Rory. Be with me again. Marry me and live with me. We can have our family again, Ace." he said, using her nickname for the first time since she told him not to.

"I can't do that Logan. It's not that simple." she said, moving out of his embrace.

"But it can be. I can get my lawyers to start up the papers. You could be divorced by next week." he pleaded. "Please, Rory. I love you, you know I love you. Be with me again. Let me be your husband. Let Emma have her dad full time. Leave Jess. Marry me." he said.

"I...I can't." she said as she got up and started to leave. "I'm sorry." she whispered as she left the room and went back to hers.

He watched her leave, a sad expression on his face. She said no. She rejected him. And it hurt.

---

She walked back into her room and shut the door, locking it before sinking down on the floor. Her head fell back against it before more tears fell.

Why did she say no when her heart was screaming at her to say yes? Everything he was saying sounded so amazing, so perfect. So why? Why say no when the word 'yes' would give her everything she wanted. Because she felt she couldn't do it. She couldn't leave Jess when he was so kind to her. When he loved her.

But she didn't love him anymore. She was finally realizing it. So again, why did she say no to Logan? Why did she reject him? Why did she feel hurt?

---

Rory woke up a few hours later on the floor in front of the door. She must have cried herself to sleep. She hadn't done that in a while. Not since she married Jess. No, wait, there was that one time. That time she thought he was cheating on her. That time she smelt perfume on him that wasn't hers, and saw barbie pink lipstick on one of his white shirts. He had done it too. Slept with another woman. She didn't know to this day why she didn't divorce him then. Oh yeah, because he begged her not to. Saying that girl was a drunken mistake. He had drunk a little to much one night after getting upset that Rory was keeping contact with Logan. She forgave him, but didn't know why. It would have been so easy. Divorce him for infidelity. She could get away without a scratch. She could be happy again. But she had been naive in believing him when he said he truly loved her and the other girl was a big mistake. That he would never cheat again.

She pulled herself up and threw on her robe before going into the bathroom to wash her face and brush the mess that was her hair. After washing away the tear streaks and pulling her hair into a pony tail, she left the room and went into her daughters, but found that Emma wasn't there. She heard laughter from downstairs and figured that was where she would find Emma...and Logan. She walked down the stairs and entered the kitchen.

"Hi mommy." Emma said as Rory kissed her head.

"Hi hun. Sleep well?" she asked.

"Yep." she said before taking a bite of her toast.

"Hey." she said, walking over to Logan.

He smiled and kissed her cheek before handing her a cup of coffee and going to sit at the table with Emma. She watched as he left, confused. Did she not just tell him only hours before that she couldn't leave Jess for him? Why was he kissing her cheek and making her coffee? She expected him to hate her, not be nice. _'Weird.' _she thought as she grabbed a piece of toast and some bacon strips that had been left for her and joined the two at the table.

---

After breakfast, she took a shower while Logan got Emma ready for the day and then got ready himself. They were going to spend the whole day together, just the three of them. Logan had taken the whole week off as well so he could spend time with Emma and work on changing Rory's mind about divorcing Jess. He needed her in his life again. He needed her permanently. He missed her and Emma more than he ever thought he could. He felt like her was torn inside. There was a hole in his heart that could only be filled if his girls were completely with him. He felt broken when they weren't around. He didn't want to feel broken anymore.

---

As Rory stood in the shower and let the hot water pound on her shoulders, she thought a bit. She never really gave it any thought early that morning before answering Logan. She decided maybe she should way her options a little more. After stepping out of the shower, she dried herself off before drying her hair and getting dressed. When she was ready, she walked back into her bedroom, thinking she'd give Jess a call and see what he was up to.

"Hello?" he answered on the third ring.

"Jess? You ok?" she asked. He sounded kinda out of breath.

"Uh, hey. Yeah, I'm fine." he said, his voice still a little shaky. "Just uh, kinda ba..busy." he said.

"With what?" she asked.

"Uh, I'm writing." he said.

She thought she heard him mumble an 'oh God' after that.

"Jess what the hell are you really doing?" she asked, getting angry.

"I'm writing Rory. I ta...told you that." he said, still shaky breaths.

"Stop fucking the girl Jess and talk to me." she said.

"Wh...what?" he asked.

"You're cheating again. I can tell you are. You son of a bitch. You're such an asshole."

"Wh...Rory, I love you." he said.

"No you don't." she said. "If you loved me, you wouldn't be with another girl right now, would you?" she asked, even angrier.

"Rory..."

"No." she stated. "This conversation is over." she said before hanging up.

She felt the tears again, although she felt kinda relieved as well. She could divorce him. It could be over. There was no way she would stay with him now. They were done.

---

A/N: Reviews are always welcome, and most appreciated. Thanks.


	3. Part 3: The Outcome

A/N: thanks for all the wonderful reviews! You guys are all amazing. Ok, I added Colin, and Steph to this and Finn is mentioned because they're awesome. They all live in California as well, but I don't know why. Lol. I just need them there for this to work, so please go with it:) So, this should have been up sooner, because it was done, but I was reading through it and I was like 'this could be better' so I've been rewriting it and that is why it took a little longer. And now, the third and final, extra long, part...enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

---

**Part 3: The Outcome**

Rory left her room in a daze. She didn't even notice when she bumped into Logan.

"Rory? What's wrong?" he asked as she saw the tears on her cheeks.

She looked at him. How could he do this? Be so nice after she rejected him in the early hours of the morning.

"Nothing." she said as she moved away from him and went down the stairs, wiping at her eyes.

Logan watched her leave, not satisfied with her answer. He knew something was up. He followed her down the stairs, trying to think of all that could be wrong.

---

They decide to take Emma to the park that day so she could play. Rory and Logan were sitting on the bench, watching her swing.

"So, are you going to tell me what's wrong?" Logan asked.

"I already did." she said. "Nothing is wrong Logan. I'm wonderful." she said.

"No you aren't." he said. "C'mon Rory. Please tell me what's wrong."

"He did it again." she said quietly as she looked at her feet.

"Did what?" he asked, clearly confused. She had never told him about the first time she found out Jess cheated on her.

"Slept with someone else." she said, still quiet.

"Jess did?" he asked, getting angry as he turned to face her completely.

"Yes, Logan. Jess did." she said.

"Wait, you said he did it again? So this has happened before?" he asked. She nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

"It wasn't your concern. It happened in my life, not yours." she said.

"Rory, your life is my concern." he said. "When did it happen the first time?"

"Last year." she said. "He didn't come home one night, and the next day when he finally did, he smelt of perfume that wasn't mine, and there was lipstick on his shirt." she said.

"Why did you stay with him?"

"He said it was a drunken mistake. That he loved me and he was sorry. He'd never do it again. I was so stupid to believe him." she said. "I called him this morning. He seemed distracted, and out of breath. I think I heard him say 'oh God.' I know he's cheating again." she said as she fiddled with the zipper on her jacket.

"Rory, you have to leave him now. That's twice." he said.

"I know." she said quietly.

"Do you want me to help you?" he asked.

She nodded her head as a few tears fell. He put his arm around her, pulling her close. She laid her head on his shoulder and continued to watch her daughter play on the swing set.

---

After the park they went to lunch at a nearby café.

"Ya know, this isn't half bad." Rory said after eating some of the burger she ordered. "It's no Luke's but it's pretty good."

"Glad you approve." Logan said with a smirk. "What about you angel? Good food?" Logan asked Emma.

"Yeah. Really good." she said with a smile.

Rory's phone rang a few minutes later and she picked it up, praying it wasn't Jess.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hey hun. How goes the trip?" Lorelai asked.

"Mom, hey."

"You ok?"

"Yeah, fine." Rory said.

"I know that voice." Lorelai said. "You definitely don't sound fine. Did Logan do something?"

"No mom. Logan's been perfect. It was the phone call I made to Jess this morning that has me upset."

"Why? What happened?"

"He did it again. He was doing it."

"Doing what hun? 'It' can mean many things."

"Cheating." she said quietly.

"What?" Lorelai asked, shocked.

"Yeah. He was. I know he was."

"Are you sure babe? Maybe you heard wrong."

"Mom, he did it once. Who's to say he wasn't doing it again? I know what I heard."

"I can't believe it." Lorelai said.

"It's pretty bad, mom." Rory said.

"You are divorcing him now, right?"

"Of course. There's no way in hell I wouldn't."

"Good girl. So, wanna tell me what's happening with Logan?"

"Later mom. I'll call you tonight."

"Ok sweets. Hey, you want me and Luke to go up to your house to kick Jess's ass out?"

"Actually that would be great mom. I don't think I want him there when Emma and I get home in a few days."

"Ok. We're on it babe. I love you. And don't worry. We'll get through this."

"I know we will." Rory said. "Bye mom. I love you too."

"Bye babe."

Rory hung up and turned back to Logan and Emma, but only saw Emma. Logan had gone to pay the bill.

"Mommy, what's cheating?" Emma asked.

"A bad thing Emma." Rory said.

"So Jess did a bad thing?"

"Yes, baby. He did a very bad thing."

"Did he hurt your feelings?" the little girl asked.

"Yes, he did." Rory said.

"Mommy, can we live with daddy now?"

"I don't know baby." Rory said as tears stung her eyes.

"But if Jess did a bad thing, we can get away from him, right?"

Rory looked at her daughter. She made things seem so simple.

"Yeah, we can get away from him Emma."

"And live with daddy again?" Emma asked, hopeful.

"Yeah. And live with daddy again." Rory said as she smiled at her daughter. She knew that once the divorce was final, she would need to be with Logan. And not just because he was someone who comforted her, or made her feel loved. But because he was someone who actually loved her and she loved back.

---

Logan came back over a minute later.

"Hey, everything ok?" he asked.

Rory nodded as she stood up and picked up Emma. They walked out if the café just as Rory's phone was ringing again. She pulled it out and looked at the screen.

"Ugh." she groaned.

"Who is it?" Logan asked.

"Jess." she said.

"Let me have it." he said, extending his hand. She gave it to him and he answered.

"Hello?" Logan said.

"Why are you answering my wife's phone?" Jess asked.

"Why are you cheating on your wife?" Logan asked back.

"I wasn't." Jess said smugly.

"Rory knows what she heard Jess, and since it happened once, I don't doubt that it happened again."

"Ya know, my life with Rory is none of your business."

"Actually when my daughter is involved in yours and Rory's life, then your life becomes my business."

"Let me talk to Rory." Jess said.

"No."

"She's my wife."

"Not for long."

"Excuse me?" Jess asked, getting angry.

"Bye Jess." Logan said before hanging up. He handed Rory her phone back before opening the car door, taking Emma from Rory and getting her situated in the back. He got into the drivers side and started the car before the three of them drove out of the parking lot.

---

After returning to Logan's apartment, Emma was tired so she took a nap in her room while Rory and Logan were talking in the living room.

"So when can the lawyers start divorce papers?" Rory asked quietly.

"I can call them right now if you want."

"Please." she said. He nodded before getting up to call his lawyers. Rory sat there and thought about everything going on. She was getting divorced and then at some point, jumping into another relationship. She smiled. She knew the relationship with Logan would be good. He loved her and would never cheat. He would be there for her and Emma like he was when they were younger. She thought back to when Emma was born.

_Flashback_

"_It hurts." she cried._

"_I know baby, but it'll be over soon. Keep pushing. We'll get to see our little girl soon." Logan said as he pushed her hair off her face and kissed her forehead._

"_I am never letting you do this to me again! You better be glad we aren't married, or else I'd divorce your ass!" she yelled as she gave one final push._

_He let out a small laugh as a cry erupted throughout the room._

"_Congratulations!" the doctor exclaimed. "You have a beautiful baby girl." he said, handing the now clean baby over to Rory. She was wrapped in a soft pink blanket._

"_Hi baby." Rory whispered. "Welcome to the world. It's a fun, exciting place." she said with a smile as she looked at the baby. "I'm your mommy. Here's your daddy." she said, handing the baby to Logan._

_He smiled at her. "Hey angel. I love you already." he said before kissing the baby's head._

"_Do you have a name?" the nurse asked._

"_Emma Victoria Huntzberger." Rory said._

_The nurse smiled as she wrote it down and then left the room, letting the new family have their privacy._

_End Flashback_

Rory remembered that day well. She felt the tears sting her eyes as she thought about all the bad days that had happened in the last three years. Losing Logan to the evil that was his father, marrying Jess, finding out he cheated, and now finding out he cheated again.

"Hey, you ok?" Logan asked, coming back in.

She nodded as she wiped away the tears. "I'm fine. Just thinking about some things." she said with a weak smile.

"So they started the papers. They should have them for you by tomorrow afternoon. They'll deliver them here." he said.

She nodded. "Thank you Logan."

"You're welcome Ace." he said with a smile.

"Always taking care of me, aren't you?" she asked.

"It's my job." he said with a small smirk. "Gotta protect the ones you love, right?"

"Yeah." she said. "I think I'm gonna go lie down for a while. I'm tired."

"Ok." he said.

She got up and walked to the stairs. She glanced back at him and saw him staring at her.

"What?" she asked with a smile.

"Nothing. I just missed seeing you and Emma." he said. "Just, you and Emma."

"We missed seeing you too." she said before heading up the stairs. She went into her room and laid down on the bed. It was so comfortable, she was asleep in minutes, dreaming of what was to come.

---

Logan was in the living room on the couch when Rory's phone started ringing again. He grabbed it and headed up to her room. When he entered he saw her asleep under the covers. What he saw made his heart hurt. She looked so sad, tear stains were still on her cheeks from sometime earlier in the day. He sat down on her bed and gently woke her.

"Rory." he said quietly as he gently shook her. "Wake up Ace."

She groaned a little and rolled onto her back, slowly opening her eyes. "Hey." she said quietly.

"Your phone is ringing." he said, handing it to her.

"Thanks." she said taking it. She looked at the caller id and flipped it open.

"Hello?"

"Were you planning on coming to visit me while you were here in Cali?" the voice said.

"Were you planning on inviting me?" she shot back.

"Of course I was girlie! Come see me, Colin and Andrea." Steph said.

"When?" Rory asked.

"Come to dinner tomorrow. Finn is coming too."

"We'll be there." Rory said.

"Good. And make sure you bring Emma. I miss my niece."

"You know, technically she's not your niece." Rory said.

"That doesn't stop her from calling me Aunt Steph, though. Does it?"

"No, I guess it doesn't." she said with a laugh. "So, what time tomorrow night?"

"Seven?"

"Perfect. See you then." Rory said.

"Bye Ror."

Rory hung up and looked at Logan. "We're going to Steph and Colin's tomorrow night. Is that ok?" she asked.

"Of course it is." he said with a smile. "Now, why don't you get some more sleep. You look exhausted. I'll get you when it's dinner time."

"Ok. Hey Logan?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we have pizza tonight?" she asked with a smile.

He let out a small laugh. "Of course we can Ace."

"I'm glad you're calling me that again." she said with a small smile.

"Are you?" he asked with a smirk. "I thought I wasn't allowed to call you 'Ace' anymore."

"Well that's obviously not stopping you." she said with a smirk of her own.

"No, I guess it's not." he said with a laugh.

"I missed hearing it." she said quietly.

"Well I missed using it." he said. "You were always my Ace."

"I still am." she said. "Can you do me one more favor? And it's kinda big, but I really, really want this Logan." she said.

"What is it?" he asked.

"When all this divorce stuff is done, will you move back to Hartford?" she asked.

"I think I can do that." he said with a smile.

"Can you move back to Hartford and live with Emma and me?"

"I think I can _definitely_ do that." he said.

She nodded before leaning forward and pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

"Go to sleep Ace." he said quietly. "I'll wake you in a little while."

She nodded before lying back down. He kissed her head and got up to leave the room.

"Logan." she called out.

"Yeah?" he asked, turning to face her.

"I love you."

"I love you too." he said with a smile before turning to leave. "You know I do."

---

He knew he had to call his dad. Logan was dreading it, but it had to be done. He had to tell him that in a few weeks he would be moving back to Hartford. That, Jake from the paper, could take over _The Los Angeles Chronicle _that he had been in charge of. He would happily do the same job at a Hartford paper as long as he was with Rory and Emma. He dialed his father's number and Mitchum picked up after two rings.

"Huntzberger." he answered.

"Hey dad." Logan said.

"Hello son." Mitchum greeted. "What can I do for you?"

"I need a transfer, dad."

"Where to Logan?" Mitchum asked.

"Hartford." he said.

"No son."

"Dad, I'm coming back to Hartford. Jake can take over out here. He's doing a good job. The paper will be fine. I need to be in Hartford for my family. I need to be with my family, dad."

"Logan, you know Rory is married."

"She won't be for long."

"Excuse me?"

"She's divorcing Jess. He cheated on her...twice."

Mitchum sighed. "She brings you down Logan. I thought I made that clear already."

"How does she bring me down dad? You've never given me a proper answer to that question. You just keep repeating that she brings me down, when clearly, she doesn't."

"Logan, Rory makes you less cautious at work. She fills your mind and keeps you from your job. She's a lovely girl Logan, and I'll admit that I do in fact like her, but I feel she's not right for you. You need someone who will be there for you at all times. Someone who doesn't have to worry about work, but worry about the next event she has to plan. That's how elite wives should be Logan."

"A trophy?" he asked. "They should just be trophy wives? Dad, that's never what I wanted and you know it. I want Rory. I need Rory. She's right for me, dad. I have a daughter with her. I love her. I'm twenty-six years old. You can't tell me what to do anymore. I'm moving back to Hartford and I'm going to live with my daughter and the woman I love. Don't even threaten Rory's career again either. I will make sure she always has a job. I'm not afraid of you anymore dad. You can't push me around like I'm ten. I have my own family, and I'm not leaving them alone anymore."

"Took you long enough." Mitchum said.

"What?" Logan asked.

"Finally standing up to me son? I can say I'm proud of you. I still think she'll drag you down, but you're right. You're twenty six, you're in control of the company and you can do whatever you want. You wanna marry her? Fine. You wanna have more children with her? Ok. If she's really what you think you need then by all means Logan, be with her again. But wait until she's divorced to do anything drastic. We don't need any more scandals. I'll see you in a few weeks. Good bye son."

"Bye, dad." Logan said, slightly confused. Did his father just grow a heart? Did his father just tell him to marry Rory and have more babies with her? Did he really say he was proud of him?

My God. He did.

What has the world come to?

---

Rory woke up at five thirty, but not by Logan. By her bouncy little girl.

"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" she exclaimed as she bounced on the bed.

"Hi baby." Rory said with a smile. "Did you have a good nap?"

"Yes. Did you?" she asked.

"I had a great nap." she said as she pulled the little girl into her arms and kissed the top of her head. Emma snuggled into her mother as Rory stroked the little girl's hair.

"Hey." Logan said coming into the room. "Looks like someone already woke you up." he said, sitting on the bed next to the girls. He laid back against the headboard and looked at the girls. "Pizza should be here in half and hour. I just ordered." he said.

"Ok." Rory said.

"Hey Emma, why don't you go wash up. I need to talk to mommy." he said.

"Ok." Emma said, climbing out of the bed and going into the bathroom next to her room.

After she left, Logan turned and looked at Rory.

"What?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

"That's debatable." he said with a smirk.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked with a small laugh.

"I talked to my father."

The small smile caused from her laugh dropped. "That's never good." she said.

"I think that this time it was." he said.

"What? Really?"

"I stood up to him and he said he was proud of me."

"What is the world coming to?" she said dramatically.

He gave a short laugh. "I was thinking the same thing."

"So what else did he have to say?"

"Well, I told him I needed a transfer back to Hartford. That I was going to be with my family. He objected at first, but I told him he couldn't control me anymore. That I'm twenty six years old and he can't tell me what to do. I told him I would never let you go without a job and that I wouldn't leave you and Emma alone again."

"Then what happened?" she asked quietly.

"That's when he said that if I wanted to marry you and have more children with you, to go ahead. It's my life, and I'm in control of it and the company. He just suggested I don't do anything drastic until you're officially divorced. Apparently we don't need another scandal." he said with a laugh.

"He said ok to the transfer?" she asked, not believing what she was hearing.

"Yeah."

"You're coming home?" she asked with a smile.

"Yeah." he said with a smile.

Her smile grew as she leaned over and hugged him.

After pulling away, she spoke. "I can't believe you dad grew a heart."

"Me either, Ace. But I'm not gonna question it. This is a good thing."

"This is a very good thing." she said with a smile that lit up her entire face.

---

The pizza arrived shortly after their talk and they ate. After dinner, Logan cleaned up and Rory got Emma ready for bed. She bathed her and helped her put on her pajamas before changing into her own. When they were done, she took Emma back downstairs to watch t.v. Logan joined them after he took a shower and changed.

"What are we watching?" he asked as he sat next to Rory on the couch.

"She wanted to watch 7th Heaven." Rory said.

Logan nodded his head as he draped him arm over the back of the couch. Rory rested her head on his shoulder as they all watched t.v.

---

A while later they put Emma to bed and Rory went to call her mom back.

"Hello?" Lorelai answered.

"Hey mom."

"Hi hun. Do I get details now?"

"Getting straight to the point?" Rory asked with a laugh.

"Come on, come on! Mommy needs the info."

"Ok mom. Things are going pretty good."

"Pretty good? C'mon Rory, you gotta give me more than that."

"He's coming back to Hartford mom. After my divorce is finalized, he's coming back, and he's moving in with Emma and me."

"Wow. That's great kid." Lorelai said. "So how is all the divorce stuff coming?"

"The papers should be here sometime tomorrow. All I have to do is sign them and have Jess sign them when I get home in a few days."

"Are you ok with all of this Rory?"

"Am I ok with my husband cheating on me? Of course not. Am I happy that I'm getting divorced after only two years of marriage? Well I certainly didn't expect it. But am I happy that I'll have Logan in my life again soon? Definitely. I can't wait for that to happen."

"Good answer." Lorelai said. "Alright hun. I gotta go. Bye kid, love ya."

"Love you too mom. Bye."

Rory hung up her phone and a knock came to her door.

"Come in." she called, already knowing it was Logan.

"Hey." he said, entering.

"Hi." she said.

"I was just coming in to say goodnight."

"Going to bed already Huntzberger? It's only 10:00."

"Tired." he said. "I didn't take a nap today like someone." he said with a smirk.

"Ooh, burn." she said with a smirk of her own.

He laughed before sitting down on the bed with her. He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "Night Ace."

"Good night Logan." she said before leaning in and kissing him back. It was supposed to be quick and sweet, but it wasn't. It hardly ever was with them. The soft kiss she started out with turned into something passionate. Tongues were involved and hands were run through hair. Rory broke away first. "I shouldn't have done that." she said quietly.

"But you did." he said softly.

"But I shouldn't have."

"Rory." Logan said.

"No. I wanted to Logan, trust me I did, but maybe I shouldn't have. Not until the divorce is final."

"Soon Rory. It'll be over soon." he said as he smoothed out her hair. "Get some sleep Ace. You have a big signature to make tomorrow." he said with a small smile.

"Night." she whispered.

"Night." he said before kissing her head and leaving the room.

---

The divorce papers came the next day. After reading through them, Rory signed her name right away. The only reason she was looking forward to going home and seeing Jess, was the fact that soon their marriage would be over. He'd be free to mess around with whoever he wanted, and she could be with Logan again.

---

"Rory, come on. We have to be there in twenty minutes." Logan shouted up the stairs.

"Daddy, what's taking mommy so long?" Emma asked.

"One thing you should know about your mommy, angel. She takes a _long_ time to get ready. And someday, you'll take a long time too." he said with a smile.

"Ok, let's go." Rory said coming down the stairs. They were getting ready to go over to Colin and Steph's place.

"You look beautiful." Logan said as he kissed her cheek.

"Thank you. Now, lets go or we'll be late." she said as she picked Emma up and walked out the front door. Logan let out a small laugh as he shook his head and followed.

---

"Rory!" Steph exclaimed when she saw her old friend.

"Hey Steph!" Rory said as she hugged her friend. "How are you?"

"I'm great!" she said. "Come on! Come in. Dinner's almost done." she said leading the way into the house.

Rory, Logan, and Emma followed.

"Hey man." Logan said when he saw Colin.

"Hey Logan." Colin said with a smile.

"Where's Finn?" Rory asked.

"He'll be here soon. He had to pick up something." Steph said.

"Alcohol." Logan, Rory, and Colin said together.

Steph laughed. "Most likely."

"Where's Andrea?" Rory asked. Andrea was Colin and Steph's five year old daughter.

"She's upstairs in her room. You can go play with her Emma." Steph said.

"Ok. Thanks Aunt Steph." Emma said before going up the stairs.

"So, drink?" Steph asked.

"Please." Rory said.

Rory and Steph headed into the kitchen as Colin and Logan went to the basement. Colin was showing Logan his new game room, complete with a poker table, pool table, and other games.

"Martini?" Steph asked.

"Sounds good." Rory said, sitting down in one of the chairs that was positioned around the island.

"So, what's going on with you? How's Jess?" Steph asked, a small hint of disgust in her voice.

"Jess is cheating." Rory said.

Steph nearly spit out the sip of drink she'd just taken. "Excuse me?" she said.

"He's cheating again Steph."

"Divorce his ass." Steph said before taking another drink.

"Already on top of it. Logan's helping me so much. He had his lawyers draw up the papers and they were delivered this afternoon. I signed my half, the rest is up to Jess when I get home."

"You're doing the right thing Ror." Steph said.

"Oh believe me, I know." Rory said. "And Logan's coming back to Hartford."

Steph almost spit out her drink again. "What?" she exclaimed. "Satan's letting him?"

"Yep. Shocked me too, but I'm not gonna question this one, and neither is Logan. We're happy about this. We'll have our family again."

"I'm happy for you Rory." Steph said with a smile. "Well, not the Jess cheating part, but the Logan part. I know how much you need him. This will be really good."

"I know it will be." Rory said with a smile.

---

"So I'm moving back to Hartford." Logan said.

"Daddy Huntzberger is allowing this?" Colin asked.

"Even if he wasn't Colin, he couldn't stop me from going. I'm not letting him control me anymore."

"Good for you man. So, you and Rory gonna get married?"

"Someday." he said. "She needs time though. We'll be together after her divorce is final, but it's probably to soon for her to jump from one marriage to another. It'll definitely happen though. I know I want it to."

"I'm sure she does to." Colin said.

Logan nodded his head before taking a sip of his scotch.

---

"Bye!" Steph called as Rory, Logan and Emma left that night. "Call us soon!"

"Bye Steph! I will." Rory said as she waved to her friend while Logan pulled out of the driveway.

After driving back to Logan's, they got ready for bed. It had been an eventful day.

---

"Call me when you get home?" Logan asked.

"Yes." Rory said with a smile. "We'll call you."

"Ok. Bye Ace." he said, giving her a quick kiss. "Bye angel." he said hugging Emma and kissing her head.

"Bye daddy." Emma said. "I love you."

"I love you too. Be good for your mommy and I'll see you in a week."

"Ok." Emma said as she hugged Logan back.

Rory grabbed Emma's hand when she moved away from Logan.

"Bye." Rory said.

"Bye." he said again. "I love you."

"I love you." she said before giving him a soft kiss. "See you soon."

He smiled as his girls turned and walked to the boarding gate. He'd be home soon. Home with his family.

---

After landing, Rory called Logan to let him know they got home safe. She and Emma got their suitcases from baggage claim and then walked out to Rory's car. After loading everything in, Rory drove back to their Hartford home. She pulled into the driveway and saw Jess's car was there. Guess he was home. Lorelai and Luke couldn't get him to leave.

"Stay in the car baby. Mommy will be right back." Rory said, getting out of the car.

She heard a faint 'ok' come from Emma as she got closer to the house, divorce papers in hand. She opened the door slowly and quietly entered the house.

"Jess?" she called out, a hint of anger in her voice.

"Rory?" he said, coming out of the kitchen. "You're home." he said with a smile as he tried to hug her. She just pushed him away. "Where's Emma?" he asked.

"She's in the car."

"Why?"

"Because we're leaving in a few minutes. I just had to give you these." she said, handing him the papers.

He looked them over. "Divorce?" he questioned. "Oh Rory, come on." he said.

"Come on?" she asked getting mad. "Are you kidding me? You cheated on me again Jess. Did you really think I wouldn't leave you?"

"Well I had hoped you wouldn't." he said.

"Too bad hopes aren't the same as reality." she said. "I'm leaving you." she said.

"Rory it was a mistake. Come on! Everyone makes mistakes. We're all only human."

"This mistake was made twice, Jess. And you weren't drunk the second time so don't even give me that excuse. Emma and I are leaving you. We'll stay with mom until you can move out."

"Move out?" he questioned. "Why do I have to move out?"

"Because I bought this house. It's under my name. Pack your stuff and be out by Wednesday."

"I'll fight you on this Rory." Jess said.

"No you won't." she said.

"I'll take you to court."

"You can have everything I didn't buy myself, Jess. Starting with these." she said, handing him her engagement ring and wedding band.

"I'll fight you for Emma, Rory. I won't let you take her away from me."

"She's not your daughter!" Rory exclaimed. "You didn't help create her, and you didn't adopt her when we got married. You have no custody over her. She's not yours to take away."

"Don't do this Rory. I love you."

"I love someone else." she said. "I never should have married you Jess. I'm sorry. But this marriage is over. Go screw other girls now. You're free of me." she spat.

"I want you though."

"Really? Did you want me when you were doing that girl I caught you with? Did you want me every time you were with someone else? Hm? No, you didn't. You just wanted a good lay. Go find a slut Jess, we're over." she said before turning and walking out the door.

---

When she returned back to the Hartford home on Wednesday, Jess and all his stuff was gone. All that was left were the signed divorce papers on the kitchen table. Finally. She was finally free of him.

Logan would be there soon. She looked at her watch.

11:23 a.m. His plane was landing at noon. Emma was with Lorelai for the day so Rory and Logan could be alone for a while once he got there.

She left the house and headed to the airport, excited to see him again. She dropped off the divorce papers on the way so it would be finalized and then pulled into the airports parking lot twenty minutes later. She looked at her watch again.

12:05. He was probably getting off as she walked to baggage claim. Now she just had to wait a few minutes longer.

She got a coffee from Starbucks while she waited. After another ten minutes, she saw him. His eyes lit up when he saw her and she imagined her did the same. He smiled as he walked up to her and embraced her in a tight hug when he was right in front of her.

"Guess what?" she asked.

"What's that Ace?" he asked.

"I'm a newly divorced woman."

"But you're still not single." he said with a smirk.

"Never will I be single again." she said as she grabbed his hand and they left the airport. All his stuff was to arrive in the next few days. They drove back to the house, their hands never breaking contact. Once they arrived, the two got out of the car and went inside.

"Welcome home." Rory said.

"It's good to be here." he said with a smile before cupping her face and kissing her. She kissed back, deepening the already passionate kiss. They started walking up the stairs, clothes being shed on the way. They needed each other. In that moment, and for the rest of their lives.

---

"I love you." Rory said.

"I love you." he said back.

They were lying in bed after hours of being together. It had been a very long time, but they were both so happy to be in each other's arms again.

"This is perfect." Rory said as she traced circles on his chest.

He smiled at her before giving her a kiss. "It's always perfect when it's you and me Ace." he said with a smirk.

She playfully hit his chest. "That's not what I meant." she said with a laugh. "I meant the moment right now is perfect."

"It is." he said before kissing her again.

"I'm glad you're home." she said.

"Me too." he said. "I'm never leaving again."

"You better not."

"I'm not." he said.

"I love you." she said quietly.

"I love you too Ace." he kissed her and pulled her closer. He kissed her temple before closing his eyes. Hers closed too. They were tired. It was fitting that they were tired. Sleep overtook them and as their breathing evened out and they clung to each other. They were together again, and nothing would break them apart this time. Nothing would cause them to move along to someone else. They were together forever. They were stuck with each other, but in a good way. They were in love, and they were happy. Their family was back together, and it truly was perfect.

---

A/N: I hope you all like this. I wanted it to be perfect. Again, sorry for the delay. So, I hope you all enjoyed the final part. Leave a review please. They are most appreciated. Thanks.


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